Have you ever wondered exactly what clouds are made of, or what the difference is between a cumulus and lenticular cloud? Clouds are an ever-present, ever-changing part of our natural landscape. They come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, and capture our imagination with their endless permutations. Join Exploratorium Senior Scientist Paul Doherty for a live Webcast about cloud physics. Paul will discuss the basic makeup of clouds, and explore some of the aspects that make them such a rich part of our daily lives.

A series of sometimes fiery demonstrations shows what the pressure and composition of Venus’s atmosphere are like. This program was presented in conjunction with the Exploratorium’s webcast of the 2004 transit of Venus.

In 1963 Benoit Mandelbrot introduced the fractal concept. Fractals are shapes or behaviors that have similar properties at all levels of magnification. Just as the sphere is a concept that unites raindrops, basketballs and Mars, so fractal is a concept that unites clouds, coastlines, plants and strange attractors.
Dr. Mandelbrot dropped in for a visit during our 2001 series of webcasts about Antarctica. We took some time out from the freezing cold to interview him.

Webcasts made possible through
the generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Jim Clark
Endowment for Internet Education, the McBean Family Foundation,.and the Corporation for Educational Networks Initiatives in California (CENIC).